Paper Example on Bringing Historical Publications To Life: Adapting Books Into Films

Introduction

Some of the best films in the past have been adapted from some of the renowned publications developed in the past by celebrated authors. The effective cinematic expression of a publication today is largely centered on the potential of a film director to access and obtain the right props and characters to retell a plot of a publication through a film. The challenge of such a retelling is even more tasking if the plot of the publication has a historical theme that requires the procurement of traditionally themed costumes and linguistic expressions in cinematic expressions. The renowned film titled the Devil in the White City is among the best publications that a filmmaker can derive cinematic expressions from today but he/she can experience social, economic, technical, and spectatorial challenges while directing the movie due to its classical theme setting.

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Reviewed Publication

The publication titled the Devil in the White City that was authored by Erik Larson is among the most renowned publications today. The publication is an American-based historic book that is based on real events as well as characters. The plot of the publication explains the contrasting lives of two men and the significance of their actions in the lives of other people. On one side, the book talks about the life of Daniel H. Burnham, the renowned architect who was behind the construction of the 1893 World Fair buildings (Larson 3). Additionally, this occurrence took place in 1893 in the city of Chicago (Larson 3).

On the other side, Larson’s publication discusses the life of H. H. Holmes a pharmacist who was mentally unstable and operating in the city of Chicago (Bacon 18). Additionally, Dr. Holmes used an abandoned lot across his place of work to rule victims and kill them. In the book, the two lives of an architect and engineer are true-life stories that illustrate how people’s actions in their lives can be constructive or destructive to themselves and others in society. As such, the plot of the publication creates an ideal storyline that can be transformed into a cinematic expression by film or video content creators.

Parts of the Story That Would Be Easy to Adapt and Parts That Would Resist Translation

In the film, the Devil in the White City, there are several parts that would be easy to adapt and other parts that could resist translation. The parts that would be easy to adapt are those that are largely known today or those that have a major significance in American history today. Examples of such parts in the stated book should be inclusive of Burnham’s creation of the World Fair buildings as well as H. H. Holmes’s murdering of people or clients of his store. However, it would not be easy to translate the actual setting of Chicago as it was in the 1890s. Additionally, this is because the structural construction of the city today has transformed in a great way compared to the way it was in the 18th century.

Challenges That Might Be Encountered by a Filmmaker in Adapting the Text

Creating a film based on a literary text can be a challenging phenomenon for a filmmaker. Additionally, that is because the creation of the film project requires special attention to be taken in choosing the right props in order to actualize the adapted plot. In this context, traditional-themed films are particularly challenging to develop. Additionally, that is due to the range of customized garments that are designed to fit the past centuries' societal setting. In this context, there are four primary types of challenges that may be encountered by the filmmaker while creating a film adapted from Larson’s publication the Devil in the White City. The stated challenges can be categorized under social, economic, technical, and Spectatorial classifications.

Social

The social setting of a plot is also imperative in determining the overall success of a film after being premiered. In this case, a social setting may define the general roles of men and women as defined in the plot of a film. Setting the right social environment and making it acceptable to the audience of the film can be a primary challenge facing a filmmaker who has adopted his/her content from the Devil in the White City. In this context, the stated publication was authored in the 1890s when the disparity of men and women in terms of their roles in the society was high. For instance, while men were expected to work and be the breadwinners in the society, their counterparts were perceived fit for domestic chores and taking care of the young ones. In the current society, it would be challenging for a filmmaker to make such a social setting adopted from the film the Devil in the White City to be acceptable by the audience of today’s contemporary society.

Economic

The cost of creating a classical film based on an ancient text like the Devil in the White City can be more expensive than developing a contemporary-themed film. Additionally, that is because a filmmaker will have to budget for special props for the cast, which can be capital intensive depending on the scale or the site of the shoot. The high cost of casting a classic film adapted from a book can be explained by referencing some of the major movies released in the recent past as the Pirates of the Caribbean which was developed by Ron Gilbert and based on Tim Power’s novels. In this case, the stated classic film under its title in the series On Stranger Tides was budgeted at $378.5 million (Li 129). In this context, it is as such evident that when developing a film based on the text the Devil in the White City, a filmmaker may experience the challenge of raising sufficient capital to complete the production of such a film.

Technical

There are also some technical challenges that can be experienced by a filmmaker when adopting a film based on the featured publication that was developed by Larson. Among such challenges is access to the right technology to showcase in the plot of the film. For instance, the publication of the Devil in the White City is based in the late 18th century. As such, a filmmaker developing a movie based on this book might find it hand finding the right technical props like cameras to blend into the classic theme of the film. Moreover, the filmmaker might find it challenging to find the right locations to shoot the classic film adopted from the publication. Moreover, that is because such a classic film should not be marred by contemporary themes characterized by the presence of modern features like skyscrapers and ultramodern travel centers like train stations. Collectively, such technical issues can affect the overall ability of a filmmaker in composing a film.

Spectatorial

Capturing the attention of the right audience of a movie is the primary goal of each filmmaker. Additionally, that is because it determines the overall success or failure of a film once shot and launched in the market. In this context, a filmmaker deriving content from the text the Devil in the White City may experience the challenge of capturing the right audience for the film. Particularly, that is due to the intense competition that such a classic film may face from more recent or contemporary-themed films in the market. Today, society's habits, preferences, and norms have changed from those experienced by others in the past. Under this premise, the tastes and preferences of films by today’s audience have also transformed. As such, defining the spectatorial focus for a classic film based on the Devil in the White City can be daunting to a filmmaker. Additionally, that is because such a filmmaker must have the right audience to secure the film’s success after being premiered.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the renowned film titled the Devil in the White City is among the best publications that a filmmaker can derive cinematic expressions from today. However, such a filmmaker can experience the social, economic, technical as well as spectatorial challenges while directing the movie due to its classical theme setting. Ultimately, there are several challenges that may be faced by a filmmaker when creating a film with materials that have been adopted from the text the Devil in the White City. Such difficulties include social, technical, economic and spectatorial challenges in the development of the film

Works Cited

Bacon, John U. America's Corner Store: Walgreen's Prescription for Success. John Wiley & Sons, 2004. Print.

Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. Vintage, 2004. Print

Li, Kay. Bernard Shaw’s Bridges to Chinese Culture. Springer, 2016. Print.